KIRKUS REVIEW

A book attempts to justify the
existence of the Christian God on the basis of modern science.

Contemporary discussions about
science and religion routinely pit the two against each other, as if they were
mutually exclusive. Ivey (Science,
Philosophy and Jesus Christ, 2015), though, argues that both the
considerable advances of modern science, as well as ancient philosophy, support
the basic tenets of Christian theology. In a wide-ranging study, the author not
only argues that monotheistic religion is compatible with the findings of
reason, but specifically with a New Testament God. To that end, Ivey
acknowledges but defends the historical record of the Roman Catholic Church,
embarks on a lengthy comparative study of the major world religions (including
Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, and, surprisingly, Zoroastrianism), and explains
Einstein’s theory of relativity. There are several discussions of the
pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides, and an extended examination of the
relationship between faith and reason. The philosophical twine that tethers the
parts into a whole is the argument that “militant science,” despite its pretensions
to completeness, cannot adequately address, let alone decisively solve, the
most fundamental questions. In fact, the value of science is ultimately a
function of its humble prostration before religion, properly understood: “On
the other hand, science can perform great service for the philosopher, the
theologian, and for all of us by taking a great part in leading us in the proper
direction toward ultimate truth, so long as science turns the baton over to
theology and philosophy before we actually get to such depth in our research.”
Of course, this is a welcome and thoughtful message in an age of
self-indulgently dogmatic atheism, whether right or wrong. But Ivey’s prose is often
so turgid and halting and his arguments so obscure that even the most
sophisticated reader will likely have difficulty following them. In addition,
the author’s interpretation of contemporary science is sometimes shaky, and
seems driven by a desire to substantiate his preferred conclusions. For
example, it takes some interpretive leaps to state that “quantum physicists
have found God on the quantum level.” This is a thematically roaming book that
ambitiously, but disjointedly, attempts to accomplish far too much in a single
volume. Ivey candidly admits that it is a work of Christian apologetics, and
sometimes that devotion to his own religious faith chafes against his
commitment to reason.

A panoramic but fractured effort to
find a compromise between faith and reason.

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